Help on offer seven days a week for victims of domestic abuse

Help for people suffering domestic abuse is available seven days a week after a council support service was extended to cover weekends.

Both victims and perpetrators of abuse can get help at centres in Castleford, Featherstone, Havercroft, Hemsworth, Pontefract and Wakefield.

They are being urged to come forward after research showed people had suffered more than 30 abuse incidents on average before they seek help.

Victim Support volunteer Mel Hardy said: “We provide emotional and practical help and I welcome the expansion of the service to make it easier for people affected by domestic abuse to reach out.

“It is important that people know we are here and that we can provide the help and advice they need.”

Wakefield Council said it relaunched the service to offer support from seven locations instead of a single centre, making easier to get help.

Maureen Cummings, who chairs the district’s Community Safety Partnership, said: “Opening the service up seven days a week will make it even easier for people to get in touch with us so that we can make sure that people get the help and support that they need.

“The service supports both victims and the perpetrators to help put a stop to domestic abuse in the district.”

The council said it was seeing an increase in people suffering abuse and perpetrators getting help from the service.

Coun Cummings added: “No-one should ever be subjected to any kind of abuse at home or anywhere else. The sad thing is, that on average victims of domestic abuse will wait until they have been subjected to more than 30 incidents of domestic abuse before they get help.

“Domestic abuse is under-reported in our district.”

The domestic abuse service helps people suffering all forms of domestic abuse